Today’s installment of campaign-related news items that wouldn’t generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers:<\/p>\n
* Virginia’s Senate race is practically tied according to a Washington Post poll<\/a> released over the weekend. Sen. George Allen (R) now leads Democratic challenger Jim Webb, 49% to 47%. The bad news for Webb: his supporters, as a group, are far less enthusiastic about his candidacy than are Allen’s voters. The bad news for Allen: the percentage of voters who say they don’t like Allen has increased dramatically from a year ago. In related news, Webb topped Allen in third quarter fundraising<\/a>, $3.5M to $2.6M.<\/p>\n * Missouri’s closely-watched Senate race, at this point, looks a lot like Virginia’s. A new Rasmussen poll<\/a> shows incumbent Sen. James Talent (R) leading state Auditor Claire McCaskill (D), 43% to 42%. If undecided voters leaning toward a candidate are also counted, Talent leads 45% to 44%. The results show almost no change over the last several months.<\/p>\n * In New Jersey, the latest Rasmussen poll<\/a> shows incumbent Sen. Bob Menendez (D) leading state Senator Tom Kean, Jr. (R), 42% to 39%. It’s Menendez’s biggest lead in a Rasmussen poll since July. When leaners are included in the total, Menendez leads 44% to 40%. A few weeks ago, the same pollster showed Kean up by one.<\/p>\n * Iowa has been home to the nation’s most competitive gubernatorial race, though a new poll shows the Dem with the largest lead either candidate has enjoyed to date. A Des Moines Register poll<\/a>, released over the weekend, shows Iowa Secretary of State Chet Culver (D) ahead of Rep. Jim Nussle (R), 46% to 39%. While the vast majority of likely voters remain loyal to their party’s gubernatorial candidate, independents now prefer Culver over Nussle, 43% to 33%. In the mid-September Iowa Poll, Nussle had a 2-point edge over Culver among independents.<\/p>\n * In Minnesota’s gubernatorial race, the latest Minneapolis Star-Tribune poll<\/a> shows state Attorney General Mike Hatch (D) leading Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R), 46% to 37%. It’s Hatch’s biggest lead to date.<\/p>\n